BLERDgirl

@@jenbaby75 - as suggested, wait a minute and then refresh. Hitting SEND or POST again only results in duplicate post.

It's perfectly normal to feel tired this soon after surgery. Make sure you are taking your vitamins/supplements and work on getting in all your fluids. You're body will eventually regulate itself. Until then listen to your body and nap when you can.

@@Inner Surfer Girl - FYI - the board is lagging today so if it appears your post don't go through, refresh before hitting send again. That way you don't double post. To the OP. You can bring a shaker bottle and Protein powder in a sip lock. I'm 4 months and I only have one a day and sometimes not even that. If you think you can survive without powders then just make every effort to eat nutritious high protein foods. I've been to England but only London which is just like any major city complete with a Whole Foods supermarket. I did find a health food store in Devon that might carry Protein Powder but I'm not certain. Since you aren't leaving until summer, you can try calling or writing them. City WholefoodsDevon, England 14 South Street Exeter, England EX1 1DZ01392 250925

I switched to Isopure unflavored. I disliked the sickly sweet taste of most Protein drinks and I can't do the ones with artificial flavoring and colorings. I add the Isopure to my coffee, in my yogurt and even in my soups/broth. It doesn't effect the flavor and I get the added protein. Why are you not getting in all your Water? If water is too difficult to drink straight, try doing a 50/50 apple or white grape juice and water blend. I prefer using FAGE 0% greek yogurt instead of sour cream because it has more protein. I also eat spinach/dark green veg, Beans, nuts, hummus, ricotta, eggs and cheese to add to my protein intake. I'll share my handy protein source chart. meat is not the only source of protein.

What exactly do you plan to use them for? I personally have no issues with homeopathy. My favorite nutritionist was a homeopath as well. Perhaps I am in the minority because I had no issues recovering post op. My doctor already had me on a regimen of Vitamins and supplements and I honestly didn't feel a need for additional ones. If you want less "cluttered" so to speak Protein supplements you can get both whey isolates or soy isolates in powder form to use instead. I am a vegetarian and I use Isopure naked whey. I can add that to my morning tea or coffee, greek yogurt, or vegetable broth/soup. I'm not familiar with most of the supplements you have listed. (Arnica, Belle Perenis, Calendula, Gota Kola extract, and Staphisagria). What are they for? I get the rest of my vitamins from my multi-Vitamin. So far my bloodwork has been perfectly fine. I notice you are in PA. I'm in Philly. Where are you and where are you having your surgery done?

Yep, it's a troll spamming the boards. Just use the report feature located next to the multiquote and quote buttons.

There is no across the boards consensus on this. Every doctor has a different protocol. Some have pre-op diets, some don't. Some do clear liquids then full liquids, some go straight to full liquids. The rest of the process tends to be liquids - purees - soft foods - all foods. However the amount of time in each stage can vary from 1 week to a full month. You need to speak with your doctor or nutritionist and gets specifics from them.

@@Sharon1964 - It varies depending on insurance and/or program requirements. I didn't have to have a EGD. I had an upper GI test instead. Sadly your deductible for the test was just that, for the test. It does not guarantee that you will be approved. You should have received a list of pre-op testing that would be required for surgery. If you have not, you should request it from whomever is coordinating your insurance request and/or call your insurance company and ask. I had to have 3 appointments with my bariatric team, attend 1 support group meeting, psych eval, a nutrition class, chest xray, upper GI, Pulmonary function test, a sleep study and bloodwork. Additionally my doctor opted to have an IVC filter put in as a precaution against bloodclots. This required an ultra sound of my legs and an appointment with the vascular surgeon.

I get prescription strength omeprazole but at 6 weeks I needed to increase my dosage from 20mg to 40. Worked like a charm. No further issues.

yes some people do experience diarrhea post op.

It may. This is as much a mental issue as it is a physical one. If your food addiction is so great that you cannot follow your nutritionist instructions, perhaps counseling is needed. This is not a magic cure all. You have to eat right and follow a healthy eating plan. The pre-op diet in addition to preparing your body for surgery is also to help you prepare mentally.

@@greatestnameever - I'm truly sorry for you and others having your surgeries postponed due to the storm. I realize how frustrating it must be to be prepared for a certain date and then have that changed.

I was hesitant to bring salads back in as well. I started slowly. I was 6 weeks out and I made a simple salad of romaine, Beyond meat chickenless strips and olive oil. I took my time and ate it slowly. I'm now 4 mths out and I do still have a Protein shake for Breakfast but that was my routine before WLS. I'm now back to eating pretty much all the same foods I ate before WLS. The only exception is I haven't re-introduced pastas and "white" carbs back into my diet. I've had brown rice once. I'm now re-introducing whole grains like farro and quinoa back in. While my nutritionist is no pro-vegetarian. She cringed when I told her I've been thinking of going vegan eventually. She is not against me. She has been really good about working with me to figure out a balanced diet.

@@swtnss - You really need to sit down with your nutritionist and go over this. At 6 weeks I was told to eat regular food as tolerated and try to keep meals between 600 - 800 calories. I found that keeping a food diary was a great help in this. I eat out often and just get doggy bags for everything. For me it's the company more than the food. As for a beverage, I just order a water and then push it to the side. However I repeat, speak to your nutritionist. She should be able to give you sample menus. It's protein first, then veg and I always leave simple carbs (breads, pastas, rice, etc...) for last or not at all.

I honestly don't know. I know my meals are typically about half to three quarters of a cup, depending on what I eat. Not sure if that will be different a year from now. I am however completely satisfied with everything I eat.

Remember eating too few calories can also put you into a stall. The body will hold onto every calorie since it's doesn't know when more will come. I wasn't an overeater. I was a disorganized eater. I could wake up at 8, get a cup of coffee around 10 and then not eat anything until 8 -9 pm easily. Then when I did eat it was typically some carb laden meal. Usually a plate of Pasta with some veg and a creme sauce. One of the first things I did when I started trying to get healthy nearly 4 years ago was begin to eat regularly and change the quality of food I ate.

You're early days yet. The tummy needs time to heal. It also sounds like you have a bit of mental work do to. I eat everything I used to eat before surgery just in smaller portions and I'm only 4 mths out. I tolerate every food I've tried. Try mixing the Water 50/50 with apple juice. It may help it go down easier.

@@thinkpink13 - I actually prefer early morning surgery. There tends to be less of a delay. I wish I could reassure you how easy this all is. I sometimes wish I had a time machine to go back 20 years and tell myself to do this then.

Water is key to a good BM, so increase your Fluid intake. Did your doctor put you on a stool softener of any kind? I was on colace for the first 30 days post op. I was discharged on Saturday and had my first BM on Monday. I've been regular ever since. Other things that people have tired: ducolax, miralax, benefiber, prunes, prune juice, apple juice, psyllium powder, flax powder, smooth move tea to name just a few.

Refresh and/or clear your cache. Sometimes the site lags and the wrong photo shows up temporarily. It's usually a glitch easy fixed with a refresh.

It honestly varies person to person. My surgical course from DOS to present has been a breeze. No pain, not even the slightest complication and I have literally tolerated every thing I have tried to eat.

@ Target has a bodyshaper line that's pretty inexpensive. I forget what it's called.

Bread was not my friend in those early days. Sorry about the crouton.

Ask about things that matter to you. I am a vegetarian. My first question was what were her thoughts on plant based diets? I also have multiple food allergies and can't eat artificial sweeteners and food dyes. I needed to know we could work around these things. I found many dietitians point to the many flavored Protein drinks. Some programs even have deals with some of the bigger names. None of them would have worked for me. It took doing some homework but I have found that Isopure makes an unflavored whey protein isolate powder and Bob's Red Mill makes a soy isolate Protein Powder. I haven't tried the Bob's Red Mill although I do use a lot of their products. I do use the Isopure and like that is can be mixed in both hot and cold beverages. That sickly sweet taste often leaves many burnt out on Protein shakes.

@@BarnGirlWK -If I could offer a suggestion. It sounds like you're burnt out on food journaling because of the counting calories aspect. I can't say I blame you. However the one thing I learned was that it's much more than calorie in calorie out as you seem to have discovered with the whole "fats are bad" deal. I use MFP not so much to count calories as to keep better track of what I am eating. My NUT wants me to eat around 800 calories. I probably fluctuate somewhere around 675 - 875 and that varies depending on my day's activities. I look at the macros. So I can say with a certainty I've gotten in X mount of Protein. But also I'm looking for a healthy amount of sodium, sugars, fat and carbs. For my body I know even if I meet my protein if my sodium is too high, the scale won't move. Similarly if I don't get the right type of fats or carbs, scale is not budging. Even checking off how much Water I drink helps me make sure i'm getting it in. One last tip; I find getting in the bulk of my protein between breakfast and lunch makes a difference for me. So 5 days a week I start my day with a protein shake using 1 scoop of Isopure unflavored Protein powder, ½ - whole cup of Fage 0% Greek yogurt. Then I add whatever natural flavorings I like. Sometimes fresh fruit, sometimes a bit of cacao powder, sometimes some chopped spinach. My Protein drinks clock in at roughly 30 - 38gms. That takes a lot of pressure off my eating for the rest of the day.